Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
100 %
Reviews Counted: 36 Fresh: 36 Rotten:0 Average Rating: 8.5/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 41 mins
Synopsis: Director Preminger thrives in tense legal showdowns and this is perhaps his best, mostly for Stewart's cagey performance as a deceptively wily small-town lawyer. An army lieutenant shoots a bar owner for allegedly raping his wife. A trial ensues, in which his attempts to convince the jury... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: James Stewart, George C. Scott, Murray Hamilton, Eve Arden, Lee Remick
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Reviews
The picture is superbly photographed by Sam Leavitt in black and white, though there's nothing black and white about the movie's morality.
Comment
10/23/07
To me Remick's damaged, dysfunctional presence is the really subversive thing about the picture. And Stewart's grandstanding attorney propels this long film to its final verdict.
10/23/07
From the stylised Saul Bass credit sequence to Preminger's assured direction, this is a thought provoking, superbly acted drama that simply oozes class.
10/23/07
Preminger purposely creates situations that flicker with uncertainty, that may be evaluated in different ways. Motives are mixed and dubious, and, therefore, sustain interest.
10/23/07
Top Critic
As an entertaining look at legal process, this is spellbinding all the way, infused by an ambiguity about human personality and motivation that is Preminger's trademark, and the location shooting is superb.
10/23/07
Top Critic
Atypical of Hollywood court dramas of the era, Preminger's masterpiece is marked by moral ambiguity, dark visuals (b/w cinematography), great performance from Jimmy Stewart as a "loser" lawyer, one of the longest court trials, and objective camera.
12/02/05
The screenplay, from a novel by John D. Voelker, drips with the smoke-drenched taste of 1940s noir, stinging the eyes and lungs.
07/31/05
Time has blunted much of the film's daringly ironic take on notions of guilt and innocence. Yet it still stands as a telling commentary on 50s America.
04/19/05
Packed with astonishing dialog and bristly performances, this is essential cinema.
04/18/05
Courtroom procedurals this nimble don't come along often, but with Anatomy of a Murder, Preminger showed how it could be done.
04/17/05
All the principals are fantastic, with the possible exception of Remick, who just doesn't fit the part nearly well enough. Duke Ellington's score is a classic.
06/05/04
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